Rough Scars, Gentle Kisses
by xPoisened-black-Rosesx
Summary: Kori’s self abuse is causing her to go under; her heart is causing her to feel hurt; can Richard pull her out of it before it’s too late? one-shot. Redux of my old one-shot loving and healing.


Kori Anders sighed as she walked out of her house, slowly moving steadily away from her…_difficult- _sister, Koma. Everything was going bad, downhill. Her parents just died in a plane crash not too long ago. Her sister Koma had turned into a drug addict, the only person left in the family that she could turn to –Her brother Ryan- had runaway from home and joined the army off to Afghanistan, her best friend -Rachel- committed suicide and she, Kori herself, had started to cut.

Kori and cutting. The two things didn't mix well especially when Koma was the reason for all her self-abuse. Kori walked, she had decided to not take her car, she didn't feel like it. Grabbing her bag she walked faster, it would take her half an hour to walk to school at the pace she was going, she felt light-headed, but she kept on walking; not before seeing a deep scar on her left arm, her finger trailed along the rough scar as she stared at it before pulling down her sleeve consciously. As she walked, she wondered why she was still living in this world, where no-one wanted her. Her parents left her, Koma neglected her, her best friend died, and now the only close member of family she had left had abandoned her as well.

It seemed everyone who was close to her was abandoning her lately. All one by one. There was only one person left, but surely once he knew how... _tainted _she was he would soon leave too.

She'd considered suicide, but she was too scared to go through with it. The taunting from Koma just further enhanced how low she thought of herself.

"_You bitchy worthless troq of a whore too in love with herself too much of a coward to let the blood flow from her precious veins..."_

Whore? No. Bitch? Probably… Coward, questionable. But since that day whenever she saw Koma a new scar decked her already scarred body. Some small cuts, that faded away and you could barely see it anymore.

But the shallow cuts inflicted reminded her of how much she wanted to die, how much she wanted to leave this world. She didn't feel the pain when the blade contacted her skin, she didn't even remember. The pain in her heart overwhelmed the physical pain. It hurt afterwards though. _So badly._

Kori sighed, she blamed herself for letting this happen to Koma... If she'd kept a closer eye on her… She exhaled as the weakness finally took over her and she couldn't take another step forward, she wasn't too far from school. She leaned against a concrete wall; it was cold. Like how the world was treating her at the moment. This was how it was, giving in before she even reached the finish line. It seemed to get further and further away from her.

She wanted to let the emotional pain ebb away from her body… Maybe forever... Maybe just for a few minutes. She didn't care. Not any more. She just wanted,_ needed_, to get rid of it. She sat on a wooden bench, resting for a while her memories flooded her mind.

_I remember that horrid day when I found out my friend –Tara- was doing drugs. I'd gone to see her because she hadn't been to school recently. She was talking to me about something when she started getting really anxious. I was completely petrified. We were alone… and then she started screaming. I clamped my hand over her mouth immediately. After about a minute she ran to her wall and slid down with her knees drawn up to her chest… her entire body shaking staring at the far corner in her room... I asked her what was the matter and she said Slade Wilson was coming for her. Slade Wilson…_

_I never came back to her house after that. _

_Another memory, her best friend Rachel, was broken when she found out that her boyfriend – Malchior- had betrayed her…Rachel had loved him so much, yet her did something that cruel to her. She was on the edge of the cliff, with a gun to her heart, we were all there, wanting her to not do anything rash. I tried so hard to talk her out of it. She wouldn't listen, she claimed she was doing this for Malchior – because she loved him too much. She pulled the trigger and fell to the bottom of the ocean, falling from the cliff._

_It was my fault, that I couldn't talk her out of it. I was such a terrible friend._

"Kori!" Kori looked up as she say a tall jet black haired figure move towards her. "Hey! Why are you here? Where's your car?."

Richard, the only other person in the world whom she could trust, and the person who she loved more than anything. The only person she had left. She had always stopped thinking of the idea of suicide when she thought of him. She smiled weakly. "I didn't take the car, I- decided to walk instead, but I was getting a little faint so I figured I ought to sit down for awhile."

Richard raised his eyebrows slightly as he moved his hand to her waist, replacing the wall with his hand to give her the support she needed to keep moving. "You sure you're okay? This nausea is happening a lot..."

Kori moved her face to look up into his eyes. The dark blue cerulean orbs were glazed over with worry. She let her arm fall against his arm. "Just low blood pressure. Please don't worry about me."

"Come, get into my car, I'll drive you the rest of the way, you look like as if your gonna faint. We'll be there in five."

Kori nodded as she felt him guide her towards his car. She hurt so much… Mostly her heart though. She hated herself for putting this on him. How could she do this to him? When he loved her so much… The cold metal of her necklace that he'd given her reminded of her one rule… She never could let Richard know she cut. She loved him too much to hurt him like that… It just seemed… So wrong. She let her eyes close as she soaked up the warmth of his body… She was so happy with him. All the dirty thoughts of cutting and death evaporated when she was with him… She let a smile touch her lips as she focused on getting to his car; she kept her head on his arm though... She loved him so much.

_I love Richard so much… Just like how Rachel loved Malcheior… I wish she hadn't died... I miss her so much… _

"Kori, are you trying out for the school play?" Richard's voice shook Kori out of her mind as he was driving. She smiled as she looked up at him.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Just checking." Richard's lips brushed Kori's cheek, they arrived at school, Kori took off her seatbelt and was about to open the car door when he suddenly blurted out. "I love you, you know that right?"

Kori smiled gently, closing the door and sitting back down properly, moving to face him; leaning against his side. "You know I love you too, right?"

Richard smiled softly as he leaned towards her and kissed her forehead. "Kori I need to ask you something. Promise me that no matter what you'll answer me truthfully."

Kori's heart froze, what was he going to ask her? "Of course I'll tell you the truth. I could never lie to you, you know that."

Richard suddenly hugged her, Kori felt him tense slightly. He put a hand to her shoulder, moving it down to her hand, trailing her arm, grasping her hand and holding it tightly. "Kori, Koma was telling everyone you cut... Do you?"  
'God why me?' Kori froze as tears began to sting her eyes… she couldn't lie… she couldn't. She closed her eyes and pulled her sleeve up.

She could imagine the scene in her mind… Richards's disappointed betrayed face glaring at her…the pale scars visible on her arms. Him pulling away from her. Tears began to fall from under her eyelashes.

"Why Kori?" He didn't pull away… She felt his arms wrap around her tighter. She felt his hand wipe away her tears... Everything was beginning to flow from her mouth...

"My parents, Ryan, Rachel, Koma…Everything. I've been cutting since Koma started drugs she said so much... And it's true. I am… I'm a bitch. I'm horrible. And it's my fault Rachel died. It's my fault she killed herself… Why couldn't I have stopped her? It's all my fault…" Kori broke down and began crying into Richard's shoulder.

"Kori, it wasn't your fault." He pulled her against him. Supporting her with his strong body.

"Richard I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." Kori felt him pull away. She wanted to call out, beg him to stay... She felt his fingers press against her lips. She slowly opened her eyes.

Richard's gently face looked down on her. "Don't say that Kori. It's not your fault. Your not what she says you are." He wrapped his arms around her. "I love you so much Kori... It's okay… Don't let her words hurt you." He gripped her in a hug. Holding her close to him. "You're kind and sweet. And I love you." He paused momentarily. "And it wasn't your fault Rachel committed suicide... She died... And it's over, we can't change the past." He pressed his lips to Kori's, gently kissing her. "But we can control the future."  
Kori let the tears flow freely from her eyed… Tears she'd held back for so long….

"I'm sorry." She whispered "I love you Richard. I love you…"

Just when she thought nothing could save her, even if her past haunted her, and her friends death hurt. But love healed all… Even the past.

* * *

**So how'd you guys like it? Just so you know, this is a redux of my original one which I deleted or, replaced, because I felt that it had too many flaws that I wanted to get rid of.**

**Please review xoxo**

**Love you guys muchos**

**xxPbRxx**


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